Hair ring check-VERY timid chin

[jessucanoel]

So I have had my boy chin (who was supposedly a girl when I got him) for about 6 months and he is extremely timid and skittish. He is only beginning to come out of his shell since I removed my girl chin because she had triplets last week. At playtime the other day he jumped on me for the first time and let me scratch behind his ear for a second. But this is the extend of our contact. He has never let me hold him and he usually runs and hides in his house if he so much as sees a shadow.
Needless to say, I am very worried about the whole hair ring business since he has obviously been "active" with my girl chin. I try to see his boy area when he is standing up on his hind legs but honestly I have no idea what I am looking for or if I'd even be able to tell if there was something wrong by only checking visually. I can't imagine how I'd ever be able to pick him up and perform the actual check without completely ruining what little trust we have worked so hard to build. What can I do? I have read all the other posts but none of the suggestions seem to be realistic for my chin (wrapping in a blanket, ect). If I could I would take him to a vet to do it but I have called ten in my area and most don't know what a chinchilla is or will not see them.

Help!!

 

[Bethany]

Just do the check, it's kind of like giving shots, you don't want to, but it needs to be done. They only hold a grudge for a little while.

 

[Sugarmama]

You can't tell if they have a hair ring from the outside, unless it's monstrous

Hair ring checks aren't nearly as awful as they sound. It's easier to have a second person hold them with the chin's back against their chest, and then you can push on the sheath and pull out the penis to check. It doesn't hurt them, and it's over quickly. They may give you the stink eye for a lil bit, but they get over it. It's important for their health.

Here's a link to a video:
http://www.spoiledchins.net/hairring.htm

One of my chins had a hair ring that I found this week; if I had not been doing regular hair ring checks, he would have gone on to have urinary issues and been in pain. Keep a little tube of KY jelly handy, because it doesn't always go right back in by itself. It's really quick and easy once you've done it a few times.

Don't worry about your chin being timid for them--even the friendliest chin hates having it done. LOL. They will never willingly sit there and let you check them, no matter how much they love you.

 

[jessucanoel]

Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like I just need to bite the bullet. I think I am just psyching myself out. We'll see how it goes...

 

[Riven]

What I always tell people about handling chins is, it NEEDS to be done, whether they like it or not. You need to hold him, pet him, etc. If you wait for him to come up to you, chances are you'll be waiting a very, very long time.

Getting them used to being held is VERY IMPORTANT! What if he gets hurt? What if he needs hand feed? What if you need to give him meds every day three times a day? What if there is an emergency and you need to load him up fast like a fire, or what not?

It's better to get past the fear of being held before any of these things need to be done, instead of stressing them out further if it ever needs to be done.

After a while they are like oh, this isn't so bad! I weaned a girl yesterday and she's not really been handled much, so when I took her out she squealed, and squealed, and I'm sure everyone in the chin house thought I was torturing her. So instead of just giving in and putting her right into her weaning cage, I carried her around squealing for about 20 minutes until she finally realized I wasn't torturing her and she quit trying to "fly" off of me.

This is a very important part of owning a chin that I think a lot of people neglect, it is something that needs to be done for the best interest of the chin.

Good luck!

 

[jessucanoel]

Thanks Riven,

I think you are 100% correct and all the things you listed were things that I have definitely been worried about. I guess I am the timid one!

 

[Riven]

Yup, don't worry, they'll forgive you, and once they realize you won't hurt them, it will help them interact with you more!